THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "P"
Last updated 30/12/2017 (20 Jan 2024)
Date Name Born Died Age
Dates in italics in the first column denote that the election held on that date was a by-election or, in some instances, the date of a successful petition against a previous election result. Dates shown in normal type were general elections.
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the MP was baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate that the MP was buried on that date.
PLYMOUTH (DEVON)
3 Apr 1660 John Maynard 18 Jul 1604 8 Oct 1690 86
Edmund Fowell c 1598 27 Feb 1664
William Morice 6 Nov 1602 12 Dec 1676 74
Samuel Trelawny 31 Mar 1630 26 Apr 1666 36
Double return. Maynard and Fowell seated 27 Apr 1660, but Morice and Trelawny declared elected 9 Jun 1660 - see below
9 Jun 1660 Sir William Morice (to 1677) 6 Nov 1602 12 Dec 1676 74
Samuel Trelawny 31 Mar 1630 26 Apr 1666 36
28 Sep 1666 Sir Gilbert Talbot (to 1679) c 1606 23 Jul 1695
10 Mar 1677 John Sparke (to 1680) 27 Aug 1636 8 Oct 1680 44
15 Feb 1679 Sir John Maynard (to 1685) 18 Jul 1604 8 Oct 1690 86
3 Nov 1680 Sir William Jones 3 Jul 1630 2 May 1682 51
22 Apr 1685 Bernard Granville 4 Mar 1631 14 Jun 1701 70
Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh [I] 8 Feb 1641 5 Jan 1712 70
17 Jan 1689 Sir John Maynard (to 1690) 18 Jul 1604 8 Oct 1690 86
Arthur Herbert, later [1689] 1st Earl of Torrington c 1648 14 Apr 1716
10 Jul 1689 John Granville, later [1703] 1st Baron Granville (to 1698) 12 Apr 1665 3 Dec 1707 42
4 Nov 1690 John Trelawny 27 Oct 1633 1706 72
28 Oct 1695 George Parker 19 Jun 1651 1743 92
30 Jul 1698 Charles Trelawny (to 1713) c 1653 24 Sep 1731
John Rogers, later [1699] 1st baronet c 1649 23 Apr 1710
9 Jan 1701 Henry Trelawny c 1658 8 Jan 1702
4 Feb 1702 John Woolcombe 8 Jun 1680 20 Apr 1713 32
19 May 1705 George Byng, later [1715] 1st baronet and [1721] 1st Viscount Torrington (to 1721) 27 Jan 1663 17 Jan 1733 69
4 Sep 1713 Sir John Rogers, 2nd baronet (to 1722) 14 Jun 1676 21 Jan 1744 77
31 Oct 1721 Pattee Byng, later [1733] 2nd Viscount Torrington (to 1727) 25 May 1699 23 Jan 1747 47
22 Mar 1722 William Richard Chetwynd, later [1767] 3rd Viscount Chetwynd [I] c 1683 3 Apr 1770
24 Aug 1727 George Treby [he was also returned for Dartmouth, for which he chose to sit] 29 Oct 1685 8 Mar 1742 56
Arthur Stert (to 1754) 2 Feb 1755
1 Mar 1728 Robert Byng 27 Nov 1703 7 Oct 1740 36
13 Jun 1739 John Rogers [he was unseated on petition in favour of Charles Vanbrugh 17 Jan 1740] 31 Aug 1708 20 Dec 1773 65
17 Jan 1740 Charles Vanbrugh 27 Feb 1680 2 Nov 1740 60
26 Nov 1740 Lord Henry Beauclerk 11 Aug 1701 6 Jan 1761 59
11 May 1741 Lord Vere Beauclerk, later [1750] 1st Baron Vere of Hanworth 14 Jul 1699 2 Oct 1781 82
6 Apr 1750 Charles Saunders [kt 1761] c 1713 7 Dec 1775
20 Apr 1754 William Wildman Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington [I] (to 1778) 15 Jan 1717 1 Feb 1793 76
Samuel Dicker 1 Jan 1760
26 Jan 1760 George Pocock 21 Feb 1706 3 Apr 1792 86
18 Mar 1768 Francis Holburne 1704 15 Jul 1771 67
10 Aug 1771 Sir Charles Hardy (to May 1780) c 1714 19 May 1780
5 Jun 1778 George Legge, styled Viscount Lewisham, later [1801] 3rd Earl of Dartmouth (to Sep 1780) 3 Oct 1755 10 Nov 1810 55
31 May 1780 Sir Frederick Leman Rogers, 5th baronet (to 1784) 23 Jul 1746 21 Jun 1797 50
12 Sep 1780 George Darby c 1720 26 Mar 1790
7 Apr 1784 Robert Fanshawe 4 Jan 1740 4 Feb 1823 83
John Macbride (to Jun 1790) 17 Feb 1800
1 Feb 1790 Alan Gardner, later [1800] 1st Baron Gardner [I]and [1806] 1st Baron Gardner [UK] (to 1796) 12 Apr 1742 1 Jan 1809 66
26 Jun 1790 Sir Frederick Leman Rogers, 5th baronet (to 1797) 23 Jul 1746 21 Jun 1797 50
28 May 1796 William Elford, later [1800] 1st baronet (to Nov 1806) Aug 1749 30 Nov 1837 88
7 Jul 1797 Francis Glanville 31 Jul 1762 3 Jun 1846 83
9 Jul 1802 Philip Langmead c 1739 8 Aug 1816
6 Mar 1806 Thomas Tyrwhitt [kt 1812] (to 1812) 12 Aug 1762 24 Feb 1833 70
3 Nov 1806 Sir Charles Morice Pole, 1st baronet (to Jun 1818) 18 Jan 1757 6 Sep 1830 73
22 Jun 1812 Benjamin Bloomfield [kt 1815], later [1825] 1st Baron Bloomfield [I] 13 Apr 1768 15 Aug 1846 78
14 Feb 1818 Sir William Congreve, 2nd baronet (to 1828) 20 May 1772 16 May 1828 55
19 Jun 1818 Sir Thomas Byam Martin (to 1832) 26 Jul 1773 21 Oct 1854 81
7 Jun 1828 Sir George Cockburn, later [1852] 10th baronet 22 Apr 1772 19 Aug 1853 81
11 Dec 1832 John Collier 1769
Thomas Beaumont Bewes 18 Dec 1777 18 Nov 1857 79
1 Jul 1841 Thomas Gill 1788 20 Oct 1861 73
Hugh Fortescue, styled Viscount Ebrington, later [1861] 3rd Earl Fortescue (to 1852) 4 Apr 1818 10 Oct 1905 87
29 Jul 1847 Roundell Palmer [kt 1861], later [1872] 1st Baron Selborne and [1882] 1st Earl of Selborne 27 Nov 1812 6 May 1895 82
9 Jul 1852 Robert Porrett Collier, later [1885] 1st Baron Monkswell (to 1871) 21 Jun 1817 27 Oct 1886 69
Charles John Mare [his election was declared void 10 May 1853] 1815 8 Feb 1898 82
2 Jun 1853 Roundell Palmer [kt 1861], later [1872] 1st Baron Selborne and [1882] 1st Earl of Selborne 27 Nov 1812 6 May 1895 82
28 Mar 1857 James White 1809 9 Jan 1883 73
30 Apr 1859 William Henry Edgcumbe, styled Viscount Valletort, later [1861] 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 5 Nov 1832 25 Sep 1917 84
31 Oct 1861 Walter Morrison (to 1874) 21 May 1836 18 Dec 1921 85
22 Nov 1871 Sir Edward Bates, later [1880] 1st baronet (to Jul 1880) [following the general election in Apr 1880, his election was declared void 25 Jun 1880] 17 Mar 1816 17 Oct 1896 80
5 Feb 1874 Sampson Samuel Lloyd 10 Nov 1820 3 Mar 1889 68
2 Apr 1880 Peter Stewart Macliver (to 1885) 1822 19 Apr 1891 68
10 Jul 1880 Edward George Clarke [kt 1886] (to Feb 1900) 15 Feb 1841 26 Apr 1931 90
24 Nov 1885 Sir Edward Bates, 1st baronet 17 Mar 1816 17 Oct 1896 80
Jul 1892 Sir William George Pearce, 2nd baronet 23 Jul 1861 2 Nov 1907 46
15 Jul 1895 Charles Harrison 1 Aug 1835 24 Dec 1897 62
12 Jan 1898 Sigismund Ferdinand Mendl [kt 1918] (to Oct 1900) 1866 17 Jul 1945 79
16 Feb 1900 Ivor Churchill Guest, later [1910] 1st Baron Ashby St. Ledgers and [1918] 1st Viscount Wimborne (to 1906) 16 Jan 1873 14 Jun 1939 66
1 Oct 1900 Henry Edward Duke, later [1925] 1st Baron Merrivale 5 Nov 1855 20 May 1939 83
13 Jan 1906 Thomas William Dobson 9 Nov 1853 13 May 1935 81
Charles Edward Mallet [kt 1917] (to Dec 1910) 2 Dec 1862 21 Nov 1947 84
15 Jan 1910 Aneurin Williams 11 Oct 1859 20 Jan 1924 64
Dec 1910 Waldorf Astor, later [1919] 2nd Viscount Astor 19 May 1879 30 Sep 1952 73
Arthur Shirley Benn, later [1926] 1st baronet and [1936] 1st Baron Glenravel 20 Dec 1858 13 Jun 1937 78
SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1918, SEE "DEVONPORT", "DRAKE" AND "SUTTON"
PLYMPTON ERLE (DEVON)
5 Apr 1660 Sir William Strode (to 1677) 18 Dec 1614 13 Jan 1676 61
Christopher Martyn c 1617 26 Jan 1678
5 Apr 1661 Thomas Hele 6 Sep 1630 13 Sep 1665 35
4 Oct 1666 Sir Edmund Fortescue, 1st baronet 22 Sep 1642 30 Dec 1666 24
10 May 1667 Sir Nicholas Slanning, 1st baronet (to Feb 1679) Jun 1643 Apr 1691 47
5 Mar 1677 Sir George Treby (to 1685) 1 Jan 1643 13 Dec 1700 57
24 Feb 1679 Richard Hillersdon c 1639 1703
22 Aug 1679 John Pollexfen c 1638 15 Feb 1715
20 Apr 1685 Richard Strode 11 Apr 1638 1707 69
Sir Christopher Wren 20 Oct 1632 25 Feb 1723 90
11 Jan 1689 Sir George Treby 1 Jan 1643 13 Dec 1700 57
John Pollexfen c 1638 15 Feb 1715
11 Mar 1690 Richard Strode 11 Apr 1638 1707 69
George Parker 19 Jun 1651 1743 92
Election declared void 14 Apr 1690
26 Apr 1690 Sir George Treby 1 Jan 1643 13 Dec 1700 57
John Pollexfen (to 1695) c 1638 15 Feb 1715
9 Nov 1692 Sir Thomas Trevor, later [1712] 1st Baron Trevor (to 1698) 8 Mar 1658 19 Jun 1730 72
29 Oct 1695 Courtenay Croker (to 1702) 13 Jun 1660 1740 80
29 Jul 1698 Martin Ryder c 1645 7 Sep 1723
1 Dec 1701 Richard Hele 27 Mar 1679 Dec 1709 30
25 Jul 1702 Richard Edgcumbe, later [1742] 1st Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe (to 1735) [at the general election in Apr 1734, Edgcumbe was also returned for Lostwithiel, for which he chose to sit] 23 Apr 1680 22 Nov 1758 78
Thomas Jervoise [he was unseated on petition in favour of Richard Hele 28 Jan 1703] 6 Sep 1667 10 May 1743 75
28 Jan 1703 Richard Hele 27 Mar 1679 Dec 1709 30
21 May 1705 Sir John Cope, later [1721] 6th baronet 1 Dec 1673 8 Dec 1749 76
12 May 1708 George Treby [at the general election in Aug 1727, Treby was also returned for Dartmouth, for which he chose to sit] 29 Oct 1685 8 Mar 1742 56
29 Feb 1728 John Fuller c 1679 22 Mar 1744
29 Apr 1734 Thomas Clutterbuck (to Dec 1742) c 1697 23 Nov 1742
21 Feb 1735 Thomas Walker c 1664 22 Oct 1748
9 May 1741 Richard Edgcumbe, later [1742] 1st Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe 23 Apr 1680 22 Nov 1758 78
3 May 1742 William Clayton, 1st Baron Sundon [I] (to 1747) 9 Nov 1671 29 Apr 1752 80
4 Dec 1742 Richard Edgcumbe, later [1758] 2nd Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe (to Dec 1747) [at the general election in Jul 1747, Edgcumbe was also returned for Lostwithiel, for which he chose to sit] 2 Aug 1716 10 May 1761 44
2 Jul 1747 George Edgcumbe, later [1761] 3rd Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe and [1789] 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe [he was also returned for Fowey, for which he chose to sit] 3 Mar 1720 4 Feb 1795 74
14 Dec 1747 George Treby c 1726 5 Nov 1761
William Baker [kt 1760] (to 1768) 5 Nov 1705 23 Jan 1770 64
8 Dec 1761 George Hele Treby c 1727 12 May 1763
25 Nov 1763 Paul Henry Ourry (to 1775) 3 Oct 1719 31 Jan 1783 63
22 Mar 1768 William Baker 3 Oct 1743 20 Jan 1824 80
10 Oct 1774 Sir Richard Philipps, 7th baronet, later [1776] 1st Baron Milford [I] (to 1779) 1744 28 Nov 1823 79
7 Feb 1775 John Durand (to 1780) c 1719 30 Jul 1788
8 Apr 1779 William Fullarton 12 Jan 1754 13 Feb 1808 54
11 Sep 1780 James Cecil, styled Viscount Cranborne, later [Sep 1780] 7th Earl of Salisbury and [1789] 1st Marquess of Salisbury 4 Sep 1748 13 Jun 1823 74
Sir Ralph Payne, later [1795] 1st Baron Lavington [I] (to 1784) 19 Mar 1739 3 Aug 1807 68
30 Nov 1780 James Archibald Stuart (Stuart Wortley from 1795 and Stuart Wortley Mackenzie from 1800) 19 Sep 1747 1 Mar 1818 70
3 Apr 1784 Paul Treby Ourry 6 Nov 1758 29 Feb 1832 73
John Stephenson (to 1790) c 1709 17 Apr 1794
16 Aug 1784 John Pardoe c 1756 26 Apr 1796
19 Jun 1790 Henry Lawes Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton [I] c 1737 25 Apr 1821 77
Philip Metcalfe (to 1796) 29 Aug 1733 10 Aug 1818 84
14 Feb 1794 William Manning 1 Dec 1763 17 Apr 1835 71
28 May 1796 William Adams (to 1801) 30 Sep 1752 21 Sep 1811 58
William Mitchell c 1742 10 Nov 1823
17 Jun 1799 Richard Hankey (to 1802) c 1766 15 Mar 1817
6 Jul 1801 Sylvester Douglas, 1st Baron Glenbervie [I] 24 May 1743 2 May 1823 79
6 Jul 1802 Edward Golding 16 Jun 1746 23 Jul 1818 72
Philip Metcalfe 29 Aug 1733 10 Aug 1818 84
1 Nov 1806 Robert Stewart, styled Viscount Castlereagh, later [1821] 2nd Marquess of Londonderry [I] (to 1812) 18 Jul 1769 12 Aug 1822 53
Sir Stephen Lushington, 1st baronet 17 Jun 1744 12 Jan 1807 62
7 Feb 1807 William Assheton Harbord, later [1810] 2nd Baron Suffield 21 Aug 1766 1 Aug 1821 54
3 Mar 1810 Henry Drummond 5 Dec 1786 20 Feb 1860 73
10 Oct 1812 Ranald George Macdonald (to 1824) 29 Aug 1788 11 Mar 1873 84
George Duckett, later [1822] 2nd baronet 17 Jul 1777 15 Jun 1856 78
26 Dec 1812 William Douglas c 1784 9 Jul 1821
12 Jul 1816 Alexander Boswell, later [1821] 1st baronet 9 Oct 1775 27 Mar 1822 46
17 Feb 1821 William Gill Paxton (to 1826) 2 Apr 1788 3 May 1850 62
11 Mar 1824 John Henry North c 1788 30 Sep 1831
10 Jun 1826 George Edgcumbe 23 Jun 1800 18 Feb 1882 81
Gibbs Crawfurd Antrobus (to 1832) 17 Jun 1793 21 May 1861 67
16 Dec 1826 Sir Charles Wetherell 1770 17 Aug 1846 76
2 Aug 1830 Ernest Augustus Edgcumbe, styled Viscount Valletort, later [1839] 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 23 Mar 1797 3 Sep 1861 64
23 Dec 1830 Sir Compton Pocklington Domvile, 1st baronet c 1775 23 Feb 1857
CONSTITUENCY DISENFRANCHISED 1832
POLLOK (GLASGOW)
14 Dec 1918 John Gilmour, later [1920] 2nd baronet 27 May 1876 30 Mar 1940 63
30 Apr 1940 Thomas Dunlop Galbraith, later [1955] 1st Baron Strathclyde 20 Mar 1891 12 Jul 1985 94
26 May 1955 John Clarke George [kt 1963] 16 Oct 1901 14 Oct 1972 70
15 Oct 1964 Alexander Garrow 12 Mar 1923 16 Dec 1966 43
9 Mar 1967 Esmond Wright 5 Nov 1915 9 Aug 2003 87
18 Jun 1970 James White Apr 1922 19 Feb 2009 86
11 Jun 1987 James Francis Dunnachie 17 Nov 1930 7 Sep 1997 66
1 May 1997 Ian Graham Davidson 8 Sep 1950
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2005
PONTEFRACT (YORKSHIRE)
3 Apr 1660 Sir George Savile, later [1668] 1st Viscount Halifax, [1679] 1st Earl of Halifax and [1682] 1st Marquess of Halifax 11 Nov 1633 5 Apr 1695 61
William Lowther (to 1679) c 1612 20 Feb 1688
John Hewley
Lionel Copley
Double return. Savile and Lowther declared elected 16 May 1660
11 Apr 1661 Sir John Dawnay, later [1681] 1st Viscount Downe [I] (to 1690) 25 Jan 1625 1 Oct 1695 70
18 Feb 1679 Sir Patience Ward 7 Dec 1629 10 Jul 1696 66
26 Mar 1685 Sir Thomas Yarburgh 19 Aug 1637 c 1716
25 Feb 1690 Henry Dawnay, later [1695] 2nd Viscount Downe [I] (to 1695) 7 Jun 1664 21 May 1741 76
Sir John Bland, 4th baronet 2 Nov 1663 25 Oct 1715 51
28 Oct 1695 Sir William Lowther 18 Aug 1639 7 Dec 1705 66
Robert Monckton c 1659 13 Nov 1722
29 Jul 1698 Sir John Bland, 4th baronet (to 1713) 2 Nov 1663 25 Oct 1715 51
John Bright [his election was declared void 17 Jan 1700. At the subsequent by-election held on 1 Feb 1700, Bright was again returned] 23 Mar 1671 6 Oct 1735 64
25 Nov 1701 William Lowther, later [1715] 1st baronet 8 Jun 1663 6 Mar 1729 65
11 Oct 1710 Robert Frank (to 1716) 2 Feb 1660 6 Sep 1738 78
1 Sep 1713 John Dawnay 8 Dec 1686 12 Aug 1740 53
Both sitting members (Frank and Dawnay) were unseated on petition in favour of Sir William Lowther and Hugh Bethell 22 Mar 1716
22 Mar 1716 Sir William Lowther, 1st baronet (to 1729) 8 Jun 1663 6 Mar 1729 65
Hugh Bethell 4 Sep 1689 4 Feb 1747 57
27 Mar 1722 John Lowther (to 1730) c 1684 1 Jul 1729
8 Apr 1729 Sir William Lowther, 2nd baronet (to 1741) c 1694 22 Dec 1763
7 Feb 1730 John Mordaunt [kt 1749] 1697 23 Oct 1780 83
29 Apr 1734 John Monckton, 1st Viscount Galway [I] (to 1747) 1695 15 Jul 1751 56
5 May 1741 George Morton Pitt (to 1754) 1693 9 Feb 1756 62
1 Jul 1747 William Monckton, later [1751] 2nd Viscount Galway [I] c 1725 18 Nov 1772
5 Jan 1749 John Monckton, 1st Viscount Galway [I] 1695 15 Jul 1751 56
26 Nov 1751 Robert Monckton 24 Jun 1726 21 May 1782 55
17 Apr 1754 William Monckton-Arundell, 2nd Viscount Galway [I] (to Dec 1768) c 1725 18 Nov 1772
Sambrooke Freeman c 1721 21 Sep 1782
1 Apr 1761 William Gerard Hamilton 28 Jan 1729 16 Jul 1796 67
21 Mar 1768 William Monckton-Arundell, 2nd Viscount Galway [I] c 1725 18 Nov 1772
Sir Rowland Winn, 5th baronet 24 Feb 1739 20 Feb 1785 45
Election declared void 24 Nov 1768
5 Dec 1768 William Monckton-Arundell, 2nd Viscount Galway [I] c 1725 18 Nov 1772
Henry Strachey, later [1801] 1st baronet (to Oct 1774) 23 May 1736 3 Jan 1810 73
11 Dec 1772 Henry William Monckton‑Arundell, 3rd Viscount Galway [I] 16 May 1749 2 Mar 1774 24
28 Mar 1774 Robert Monckton 24 Jun 1726 21 May 1782 55
10 Oct 1774 Sir John Goodricke, 5th baronet 20 May 1708 3 Aug 1789 81
Charles Mellish c 1736 29 Dec 1796
11 Sep 1780 Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway [I] 4 Jul 1752 23 Jul 1810 58
William Nedham (to 1784) c 1740 27 Apr 1806
13 Feb 1783 Nathaniel Smith [he was unseated on petition in favour of John Smyth 11 Apr 1783] 1730 6 May 1794 63
11 Apr 1783 John Smyth (to 1807) 12 Feb 1748 12 Feb 1811 63
2 Apr 1784 William Sotheron c 1755 31 Jan 1806
30 May 1796 Robert Monckton-Arundell, 4th Viscount Galway [I] 4 Jul 1752 23 Jul 1810 58
7 Jul 1802 Richard Benyon 28 Apr 1770 22 Mar 1854 83
3 Nov 1806 Robert Pemberton Milnes (to 1818) 28 May 1784 9 Nov 1858 74
11 May 1807 John Savile, styled Viscount Pollington, later [1830] 3rd Earl of Mexborough [I] 3 Jul 1783 25 Dec 1860 77
6 Oct 1812 Henry Lascelles, later [1820] 2nd Earl of Harewood [he was also returned for Yorkshire, for which he chose to sit]
22 Dec 1812 John Savile, styled Viscount Pollington, later [1830] 3rd Earl of Mexborough [I] (to 1826) 3 Jul 1783 25 Dec 1860 87
18 Jun 1818 Thomas Houldsworth (to 1830) 13 Sep 1771 1 Sep 1852 78
9 Jun 1826 Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie 1 Dec 1799 15 May 1868 68
30 Jul 1830 Sir Culling Eardley Smith (Eardley from 1847), 3rd baronet 21 Apr 1805 21 May 1863 58
Henry Valentine Stafford‑Jerningham, later [1851] 9th Baron Stafford (to 1835) 2 Jan 1802 30 Nov 1884 82
2 May 1831 John Savile, styled Viscount Pollington, later [1830] 3rd Earl of Mexborough [I] 3 Jul 1783 25 Dec 1860 87
10 Dec 1832 John Gully (to 1837) 21 Aug 1783 9 Mar 1863 79
6 Jan 1835 John Savile, styled Viscount Pollington, later [1860] 4th Earl of Mexborough [I] 4 Jun 1810 17 Aug 1899 89
25 Jan 1837 Richard Monckton Milnes, later [1863] 1st Baron Houghton (to 1863) 19 Jun 1809 11 Aug 1885 76
William Thomas Stanley-Massey-Stanley, later [1841] 10th baronet 24 Nov 1806 29 Jun 1863 56
29 Jun 1841 John Savile, styled Viscount Pollington, later [1860] 4th Earl of Mexborough [I] 4 Jun 1810 17 Aug 1899 89
30 Jul 1847 Samuel Martin [kt 1850] 1801 9 Jan 1883 81
13 Feb 1851 Beilby Richard Lawley, later [1852] 2nd Baron Wenlock 21 Apr 1818 6 Nov 1880 62
8 Jul 1852 Benjamin Oliveira 1806 28 Sep 1865 59
28 Mar 1857 William Wood 1816 19 Jun 1872 55
29 Apr 1859 William Overend 1809 24 Dec 1884 75
31 Jan 1860 Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (to 1885) 25 Jun 1827 29 Jan 1896 68
3 Jan 1863 Samuel Waterhouse 1815 4 Mar 1881 65
2 Apr 1880 Sidney Woolf c 1844 12 Mar 1892
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1885
25 Nov 1885 Rowland Winn, later [1893] 2nd Baron Saint Oswald 1 Aug 1857 13 Apr 1919 61
13 Feb 1893 Harold James Reckitt, later [1924] 2nd baronet [he was unseated on petition 14 Jun 1893] 5 May 1868 29 Dec 1930 62
26 Jun 1893 Thomas Willans Nussey, later [1909] 1st baronet 12 Oct 1868 12 Oct 1947 79
Dec 1910 Frederick Handel Booth 23 Jul 1867 24 Feb 1947 79
14 Dec 1918 Sir Joseph Compton Compton‑Rickett 13 Feb 1847 30 Jul 1919 72
6 Sep 1919 Walter Forrest [kt 1935] 28 Jul 1869 18 Jul 1939 69
15 Nov 1922 Tom Smith 24 Apr 1886 27 Feb 1953 66
29 Oct 1924 Christopher Robert Ingham Brooke 4 Jul 1869 27 Dec 1948 79
30 May 1929 Tom Smith 24 Apr 1886 27 Feb 1953 66
27 Oct 1931 Thomas Edmund Sotheron‑Estcourt 27 Apr 1881 25 Jan 1958 76
14 Nov 1935 Adam Hills 10 Aug 1880 6 Jun 1941 60
24 Jul 1941 Percy Gott Barstow 25 Oct 1883 2 Jan 1969 85
23 Feb 1950 George Oscar Sylvester 14 Sep 1898 26 Oct 1961 63
22 Mar 1962 Joseph Harper 17 Mar 1914 24 Jun 1978 64
NAME ALTERED TO "PONTEFRACT AND CASTLEFORD" FEB 1974
PONTEFRACT AND CASTLEFORD
28 Feb 1974 Joseph Harper 17 Mar 1914 24 Jun 1978 64
26 Oct 1978 Geoffrey Lofthouse [kt 1995], later [1997] Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract [L] 18 Dec 1925 1 Nov 2012 86
1 May 1997 Yvette Cooper 20 Mar 1969
NAME ALTERED TO "NORMANTON, PONTEFRACT AND CASTLEFORD" 2010
PONTYPOOL (MONMOUTHSHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 Thomas Griffiths 1867 4 Feb 1955 87
14 Nov 1935 Arthur Jenkins 1884 25 Apr 1946 61
23 Jul 1946 Daniel Granville West, later [1958] Baron Granville-West [L] 17 Mar 1904 23 Sep 1984 80
10 Nov 1958 Leopold Abse 22 Apr 1917 19 Aug 2008 91
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
PONTYPRIDD (GLAMORGANSHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 Thomas Arthur Lewis 21 Sep 1881 18 Jul 1923 41
25 Jul 1922 Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 21 Jan 1879 26 Aug 1970 91
19 Mar 1931 David Lewis Davies 1873 25 Nov 1937 64
11 Feb 1938 Arthur Pearson 31 Jan 1897 14 Apr 1980 83
18 Jun 1970 Brynmor Thomas John 18 Apr 1934 13 Dec 1988 54
23 Feb 1989 Kim Scott Howells 27 Nov 1946
6 May 2010 Owen Smith 2 May 1970
12 Dec 2019 Alexandra Davies-Jones 5 Apr 1989
POOLE (DORSET)
25 Apr 1660 Sir Walter Erle 22 Nov 1586 1 Sep 1665 78
George Cooper 15 Dec 1626 c Jul 1689 62
1 Apr 1661 Sir John Morton, 2nd baronet (to 1679) c 1628 8 Jan 1699
Sir John Fitzjames 31 Dec 1619 21 Jun 1670 50
William Constantine
Double return between Fitzjames and Constantine. Fitzjames declared elected 15 Jun 1661
7 Nov 1670 Thomas Trenchard 1640 20 Nov 1671 31
3 Feb 1673 George Cooper [election declared void 6 Feb 1673] 15 Dec 1626 c Jul 1689 62
3 Mar 1673 Thomas Strangways 1643 21 Dec 1713 70
6 Feb 1679 Thomas Chafin (to 1689) 15 Jul 1650 17 Jan 1691 40
Henry Trenchard c 1652 2 Oct 1694
17 Mar 1685 William Ettrick 15 Nov 1651 5 Dec 1716 65
11 Jan 1689 Henry Trenchard c 1652 2 Oct 1694
Sir Nathaniel Napier, 2nd baronet (to 1698) c 1636 21 Jan 1709
Thomas Chafin 15 Jul 1650 17 Jan 1691 40
Double return between Napier and Chafin. Napier declared elected 9 Feb 1689
4 Mar 1690 Sir John Trenchard 30 Mar 1649 27 Apr 1695 46
21 May 1695 Anthony Ashley Cooper, styled Baron Ashley, later [1699] 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury 26 Feb 1671 4 Feb 1713 41
10 Aug 1698 William Joliffe c 1622 19 Jan 1712
William Phippard [kt 1699] (to 1708) c 1649 23 Jan 1723
22 May 1705 Samuel Weston by Dec 1716
18 May 1708 William Lewen [kt 1712] c 1657 16 Mar 1722
Thomas Ridge (to 1711) [expelled 15 Feb 1711] c 1671 10 Feb 1730
18 Oct 1710 Sir William Phippard (to 1713) c 1649 23 Jan 1723
7 Mar 1711 William Lewen [kt 1712] (to 1722) c 1657 16 Mar 1722
16 Sep 1713 George Trenchard (to 1741) c 1684 31 Mar 1758
4 Apr 1722 Thomas Ridge c 1671 10 Feb 1730
26 Aug 1727 Denis Bond [expelled 30 Mar 1732] 10 Dec 1676 30 Jan 1747 70
26 Apr 1732 Thomas Wyndham c 1693 19 Sep 1777
13 May 1741 Joseph Gulston (to 1765) c 1694 16 Aug 1766
Thomas Missing after 1710 25 Sep 1788
2 Jul 1747 George Trenchard c 1684 31 Mar 1758
15 Apr 1754 Sir Richard Lyttelton 1718 1 Oct 1770 52
25 Mar 1761 Thomas Calcraft (to 1774) 16 Mar 1738 15 Feb 1783 44
30 May 1765 Joseph Gulston c 1744 4 Jul 1786
21 Mar 1768 Joshua Mauger (to 1780) [his election was declared void 10 Feb 1769. At the subsequent by-election held on 18 Feb 1769, Mauger was again returned] 25 Apr 1725 18 Oct 1788 63
11 Oct 1774 Sir Eyre Coote 1726 27 Apr 1783 56
9 Sep 1780 Joseph Gulston c 1744 4 Jul 1786
William Morton Pitt (to 1790) 16 May 1754 29 Feb 1836 81
1 Apr 1784 Michael Angelo Taylor 13 Jul 1757 16 Jul 1834 77
21 Jun 1790 Benjamin Lester (to 1796) 13 Jul 1724 25 Jan 1802 77
Charles Stuart [he was unseated on petition in favour of Michael Angelo Taylor 25 Feb 1791] Jan 1753 25 Mar 1801 48
25 Feb 1791 Michael Angelo Taylor 13 Jul 1757 16 Jul 1834 77
27 May 1796 Charles Stuart Jan 1753 25 Mar 1801 48
John Jeffery (to 1809) c 1751 18 May 1822
4 Apr 1801 George Garland 1753 28 Dec 1825 72
25 May 1807 At this election John Jeffery was returned as one member. The poll for the second member resulted in a tie between George Garland and Sir Richard Bickerton. The second seat was declared vacant 15 Feb 1808
24 Feb 1808 Sir Richard Hussey Bickerton, 2nd baronet (to 1812) 11 Oct 1759 9 Feb 1832 72
14 Feb 1809 Benjamin Lester Lester (to Jan 1835) 18 Dec 1779 15 Jul 1838 58
8 Oct 1812 Michael Angelo Taylor 13 Jul 1757 16 Jul 1834 77
19 Jun 1818 John Dent 21 Aug 1761 14 Nov 1826 65
12 Jun 1826 William Francis Spencer Ponsonby, later [1838] 1st Baron de Mauley 31 Jul 1787 16 May 1855 67
6 Oct 1831 Sir John Byng, later [1835] 1st Baron Strafford and [1847] 1st Earl of Strafford (to May 1835) 1772 3 Jun 1860 87
7 Jan 1835 Charles Augustus Tulk (to 1837) c 1784 16 Jan 1849
21 May 1835 George Stevens Byng, later [1860] 2nd Earl of Strafford 8 Jun 1806 29 Oct 1886 80
25 Jul 1837 Charles Frederick Ashley Cooper Ponsonby, later [1855] 2nd Baron de Mauley 12 Sep 1815 24 Aug 1896 80
Sir George Richard Philips, 2nd baronet (to 1852) 23 Dec 1789 22 Feb 1883 93
31 Jul 1847 George Richard Robinson c 1781 24 Aug 1850
24 Sep 1850 Henry Danby Seymour (to 1868) 1 Jul 1820 3 Aug 1877 57
8 Jul 1852 George Woodroffe Franklyn 1800 5 Nov 1870 70
12 Jul 1865 Charles Waring 26 Aug 1887
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1868
17 Nov 1868 Arthur Edward Guest 7 Nov 1841 17 Jul 1898 56
5 Feb 1874 Charles Waring [his election was declared void 13 May 1874] 26 Aug 1887
26 May 1874 Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley 24 Jul 1836 16 Nov 1907 71
2 Apr 1880 Charles Schreiber 10 May 1826 31 Mar 1884 57
19 Apr 1884 William James Harris 1835 29 Oct 1911 76
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1885, BUT REVIVED 1950
23 Feb 1950 Mervyn James Wheatley 24 Apr 1880 26 Oct 1974 94
25 Oct 1951 Richard Antony Pilkington [kt 1961] 10 May 1908 9 Dec 1976 68
15 Oct 1964 Henry Oscar Murton, later [1979] Baron Murton of Lindisfarne [L] 8 May 1914 5 Jul 2009 95
3 May 1979 John Devereux Ward [kt 1997] 8 Mar 1925 26 Jun 2010 85
1 May 1997 Robert Andrew Raymond Syms [kt 2017] 15 Aug 1956
POPLAR
26 Nov 1885 Henry Green 1838 7 Jun 1900 61
6 Jul 1886 Sydney Charles Buxton, later later [1914] 1st Viscount Buxton and [1920] 1st Earl Buxton 25 Oct 1853 15 Oct 1934 80
20 Feb 1914 Alfred William Yeo [kt 1918] 13 Oct 1863 14 Apr 1928 64
SPLIT INTO 2 DIVISIONS 1918, SEE "BOW AND BROMLEY" AND "POPLAR SOUTH". CONSTITUENCY RE-UNITED 1950
23 Feb 1950 Charles William Key 8 Aug 1883 6 Dec 1964 81
15 Oct 1964 Ian Mikardo 9 Jul 1908 6 May 1993 84
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974
POPLAR AND CANNING TOWN
1 May 1997 James Fitzpatrick 4 Apr 1952
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010
POPLAR AND LIMEHOUSE
6 May 2010 James Fitzpatrick 4 Apr 1952
12 Dec 2019 Apsana Begum May 1990
POPLAR SOUTH
14 Dec 1918 Sir Alfred William Yeo 13 Oct 1863 14 Apr 1928 64
15 Nov 1922 Samuel March 4 Feb 1861 10 Aug 1935 74
27 Oct 1931 David Morgan Adams 23 Feb 1875 19 May 1942 67
12 Aug 1942 William Henry Guy 1890 1 Aug 1968 78
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
PORTARLINGTON (QUEEN'S COUNTY)
1801 Frederick Trench, 1st Baron Ashtown [I] 17 Sep 1755 1 May 1840 84
Trench won the ballot for Portarlington, but was soon afterwards created Baron Ashtown, thus disqualifying him from sitting for an Irish constituency. The writ to replace him was not issued until 12 Feb 1801. Effectively, therefore,the seat was vacant until Mar 1801
5 Mar 1801 William Elliot 12 Mar 1766 26 Oct 1818 52
17 Jul 1802 Henry Brooke Parnell, later [1841] 1st Baron Congleton 3 Jul 1776 8 Jun 1842 65
30 Dec 1802 Thomas Tyrwhitt [kt 1812] 12 Aug 1762 24 Feb 1833 70
15 Mar 1806 John Langston c 1758 11 Feb 1812
22 Nov 1806 Sir Oswald Mosley, 2nd baronet 27 Mar 1785 24 May 1871 86
23 May 1807 William Lamb, later [1828] 2nd Viscount Melbourne 15 Mar 1779 24 Nov 1848 69
24 Oct 1812 Arthur Shakespeare c 1748 12 Jun 1818
1 Mar 1816 Richard Sharp 1759 30 Mar 1835 75
20 Feb 1819 David Ricardo 18 Apr 1772 11 Sep 1823 51
1 Mar 1824 James Farquhar 1 Aug 1764 4 Sep 1833 69
6 Aug 1830 Sir Charles Ogle, 2nd baronet 24 May 1775 16 Jun 1858 83
7 May 1831 Sir William Rae, 3rd baronet 14 Apr 1769 19 Oct 1842 73
7 Dec 1832 Thomas Gladstone, later [1851] 2nd baronet 25 Jul 1804 20 Mar 1889 84
9 Jan 1835 George Lionel Dawson‑Damer 28 Oct 1788 14 Apr 1856 67
2 Aug 1847 Francis Plunket Dunne 6 Jul 1874
31 Mar 1857 Lionel Seymour William Dawson-Damer, later [1889] 4th Earl of Portarlington [I] 7 Apr 1832 17 Dec 1892 60
15 Jul 1865 James Anthony Lawson 1817 10 Aug 1887 70
20 Dec 1868 Lionel Seymour William Dawson‑Damer, later [1889] 4th Earl of Portarlington [I] 7 Apr 1832 17 Dec 1892 60
5 Apr 1880 Bernard Edward Barnaby Fitzpatrick, later [1883] 2nd Baron Castletown 29 Jul 1848 29 May 1937 88
28 Feb 1883 Robert Abraham Brewster French‑Brewster 4 Apr 1851 20 May 1901 50
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1885
PORTSMOUTH (HAMPSHIRE)
4 Apr 1660 Richard Norton [he was also returned for Hampshire, for which he chose to sit] 19 Nov 1615 May 1691 75
Henry Whithed (to 1661) c 1629 1684
8 May 1660 Sir Andrew Henley, 1st baronet 7 May 1622 17 May 1675 53
25 Apr 1661 Richard Norton 19 Nov 1615 May 1691 75
Sir George Carteret, 1st baronet c May 1610 14 Jan 1680 69
15 Feb 1679 George Legge, later [1682] 1st Baron Dartmouth (to 1685) 1647 25 Oct 1691 44
Sir John Kempthorne c 1620 19 Oct 1679
26 Aug 1679 Richard Norton 19 Nov 1615 May 1691 75
9 Mar 1685 William Legge c 1650 c 1697
Henry Slingsby (to 1690) 14 Jan 1638 1701 63
9 Jan 1689 Richard Norton 19 Nov 1615 May 1691 75
3 Mar 1690 Edward Russell, later [1697] 1st Earl of Orford [at the general election in Nov 1695, Russell was also returned for Middlesex and for Cambridgeshire, for which he chose to sit] 1653 26 Nov 1727 74
Nicholas Hedger (to 1698) Sep 1708
19 Dec 1695 Matthew Aylmer, later [1718] 1st Baron Aylmer [I] c 1650 18 Aug 1720
John Gibson c 1637 24 Oct 1717
Double return. Election declared void 24 Jan 1696
1 Feb 1696 John Gibson c 1637 24 Oct 1717
21 Jul 1698 Thomas Erle [at the general election in Nov 1701, Erle was also returned for Wareham, for which he chose to sit] c 1650 23 Jul 1720
Sir George Rooke (to 1708) 1650 24 Jan 1709 58
27 Jan 1702 John Gibson c 1637 24 Oct 1717
18 Jul 1702 Thomas Erle [he was also returned for Wareham, for which he chose to sit] c 1650 23 Jul 1720
31 Dec 1702 William Gifford [kt 1705] c 1649 21 Nov 1724
6 May 1708 George Churchill (to Oct 1710) 17 Mar 1654 8 May 1710 56
Thomas Erle [he was also returned for Wareham, for which he chose to sit] c 1650 23 Jul 1720
14 Dec 1708 Sir Thomas Littleton, 3rd baronet 3 Apr 1647 31 Dec 1709 62
23 Jan 1710 Sir Charles Wager (to Feb 1711) c 1666 24 May 1743
7 Oct 1710 Sir John Jennings 1664 23 Dec 1743 79
The two sitting members (Wager and Jennings) were unseated on petition in favour of Sir James Wishart and Sir William Gifford 3 Feb 1711
3 Feb 1711 Sir James Wishart (to 1715) 1659 30 May 1723 63
Sir William Gifford c 1649 21 Nov 1724
29 Aug 1713 Sir Thomas Mackworth, 4th baronet after 1666 Feb 1745
31 Jan 1715 Sir Edward Ernle, 3rd baronet c 1673 31 Jan 1729
Sir Charles Wager (to 1734) c 1666 24 May 1743
24 Mar 1722 Sir John Norris c 1670 13 Jun 1749
24 Apr 1734 Thomas Lewis c 1679 22 Nov 1736
Philip Cavendish (to 1743) 14 Jul 1743
10 Feb 1737 Charles Stewart 1681 5 Feb 1741 59
21 Feb 1741 Edward Vernon 12 Nov 1684 30 Oct 1757 72
6 May 1741 Martin Bladen (to 1746) c 1680 14 Feb 1746
14 Dec 1743 Sir Charles Hardy c 1680 27 Nov 1744
28 Dec 1744 Isaac Townsend (to 1754) c 1685 21 Nov 1765
3 Mar 1746 Thomas Gore [at the general election in Jul 1747, Gore was also returned for Bedford, for which he chose to sit] c 1694 17 Mar 1777
15 Dec 1747 Edward Legge [his election was declared void 19 Dec 1747] c 1710 19 Sep 1747
28 Dec 1747 Sir Edward Hawke, later [1776] 1st Baron Hawke (to 1776) 21 Feb 1710 17 Oct 1781 71
18 Apr 1754 Sir William Rowley c 1690 1 Jan 1768
31 Mar 1761 Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, 1st baronet c 1714 18 Mar 1774
29 Mar 1774 Peter Taylor (to 1777) 11 Nov 1714 3 Nov 1777 62
18 May 1776 Maurice Suckling (to 1778) 4 May 1726 14 Jul 1778 52
26 Nov 1777 Sir William Gordon (to 1783) 1726 26 Jan 1798 71
10 Aug 1778 Robert Monckton 24 Jun 1726 21 May 1782 55
5 Jun 1782 Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh, 2nd baronet (to 1796) 22 Dec 1754 24 Oct 1846 93
28 Jul 1783 Thomas Erskine, later [1806] 1st Baron Erskine of Restormel Castle 10 Jan 1750 17 Nov 1823 73
1 Apr 1784 William Cornwallis 20 Feb 1744 5 Jul 1819 75
19 Jun 1790 Thomas Erskine, later [1806] 1st Baron Erskine of Restormel Castle (to Feb 1806) 10 Jan 1750 17 Nov 1823 73
27 May 1796 Lord Hugh Seymour-Conway 29 Apr 1759 11 Sep 1801 42
12 Nov 1801 John Markham (to 1818) 13 Jun 1761 13 Feb 1827 65
19 Feb 1806 David Montague Erskine, later [1823] 2nd Baron Erskine of Restormel Castle 12 Aug 1776 19 Mar 1855 78
3 Nov 1806 Sir Thomas Miller, 5th baronet 5 May 1731 4 Sep 1816 85
9 Oct 1816 John Carter (Bonham‑Carter from 1827) (to 1838) 1788 17 Feb 1838 49
17 Jun 1818 Sir George Cockburn, later [1852] 10th baronet 22 Apr 1772 19 Aug 1853 81
9 Mar 1820 John Markham 13 Jun 1761 13 Feb 1827 65
9 Jun 1826 Francis Thornhill Baring, later [1848] 3rd baronet and [1866] 1st Baron Northbrook (to 1865) 20 Apr 1796 6 Sep 1866 70
26 Feb 1838 Sir George Thomas Staunton, 2nd baronet 26 May 1781 10 Aug 1859 78
6 Jul 1852 Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck [I] 10 Oct 1819 29 Nov 1894 75
30 Mar 1857 Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, 2nd baronet 20 Nov 1805 26 Dec 1886 81
13 Jul 1865 William Henry Stone (to 1874) 1834 7 Nov 1896 62
Stephen Gaselee 1807 20 Oct 1883 76
18 Nov 1868 Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, 2nd baronet (to 1880) 20 Nov 1805 26 Dec 1886 81
4 Feb 1874 Thomas Charles Bruce (to 1885) 15 Feb 1825 23 Nov 1890 65
6 Apr 1880 Sir Henry Drummond Wolff 12 Oct 1830 11 Oct 1908 77
26 Nov 1885 Sir William Crossman (to 1892) 30 Jun 1830 19 Apr 1901 70
Philip Vanderbyl 28 Apr 1827 16 May 1892 65
6 Jul 1886 Sir Samuel Wilson 7 Feb 1832 11 Jun 1895 63
Jul 1892 John Baker [kt 1895] (to Oct 1900) 1828 9 Nov 1909 81
Walter Owen Clough 15 Sep 1846 17 Apr 1922 75
3 May 1900 Thomas Arthur Bramsdon [kt 1909] 27 Feb 1857 29 Sep 1935 78
4 Oct 1900 James Henry Alexander Majendie 1871 11 Jan 1939 67
Reginald Jaffray Lucas
For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 28 Dec 1865 9 May 1914 48
17 Jan 1906 Thomas Arthur Bramsdon [kt 1909] 27 Feb 1857 29 Sep 1935 78
Sir John Baker 1828 9 Nov 1909 81
17 Jan 1910 Lord Charles William de la Poer Beresford, later [1916] 1st Baron Beresford 10 Feb 1846 6 Sep 1919 73
Bertram Godfrey Falle, later [1916] 1st baronet and [1934] 1st Baron Portsea (to 1918) 21 Nov 1859 1 Nov 1948 88
14 Jan 1916 Sir Hedworth Lambton Meux 5 Jul 1856 20 Sep 1929 73
SPLIT INTO 3 DIVISIONS 1918, SEE BELOW
PORTSMOUTH CENTRAL
14 Dec 1918 Sir Thomas Arthur Bramsdon 27 Feb 1857 29 Sep 1935 78
15 Nov 1922 Frank John Privett 28 Dec 1874 29 Mar 1937 62
6 Dec 1923 Sir Thomas Arthur Bramsdon 27 Feb 1857 29 Sep 1935 78
29 Oct 1924 Sir Harry Seymour Foster 29 Apr 1855 20 Jun 1938 83
30 May 1929 William George Glenvil Hall 4 Apr 1887 13 Oct 1962 75
27 Oct 1931 Ralph Edward Blackett Beaumont 12 Feb 1901 18 Sep 1977 76
26 Jul 1945 Julian Ward Snow, later [1970] Baron Burntwood [L] 24 Feb 1910 24 Jan 1982 71
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950
PORTSMOUTH NORTH
14 Dec 1918 Sir Bertram Godfray Falle, 1st baronet, later [1934] 1st Baron Portsea 21 Nov 1859 1 Nov 1948 88
19 Feb 1934 Sir Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st baronet, later [1943] 1st Baron Keyes 4 Oct 1872 26 Dec 1945 73
16 Feb 1943 Sir William Milbourne James 22 Dec 1881 17 Aug 1973 91
26 Jul 1945 Donald William Trevor Bruce, later [1975] Baron Bruce of Donington [L] 3 Oct 1912 18 Apr 2005 92
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950, BUT REVIVED FEB 1974
28 Feb 1974 Frank Ashcroft Judd, later [1991] Baron Judd [L] 28 Mar 1935 18 Apr 2021 86
3 May 1979 Peter Harry Steve Griffiths 24 May 1928 20 Nov 2013 85
1 May 1997 Sydney Norman John Rapson 17 Apr 1942
5 May 2005 Sarah Louise McCarthy‑Fry 4 Feb 1955
6 May 2010 Penelope Mary Mordaunt 4 Mar 1973
PORTSMOUTH SOUTH
14 Dec 1918 Herbert Robin Cayzer, later [1924] 1st baronet and [1939] 1st Baron Rotherwick 23 Jul 1881 16 Mar 1958 76
13 Dec 1922 Lesie Orme Wilson [kt 1923] 1 Aug 1876 29 Sep 1955 79
13 Aug 1923 Herbert Robin Cayzer, later [1924] 1st baronet and [1939] 1st Baron Rotherwick 23 Jul 1881 16 Mar 1958 76
12 Jul 1939 Sir Jocelyn Morton Lucas 27 Aug 1889 2 May 1980 90
31 Mar 1966 Ralph Bonner Pink 30 Sep 1912 6 May 1984 71
14 Jun 1984 Michael Thomas Hancock 9 Apr 1946
11 Jun 1987 David John Pattison Martin 5 Feb 1945
1 May 1997 Michael Thomas Hancock 9 Apr 1946
7 May 2015 Felicia Jane Beatrix ["Flick"] Drummond 16 Jun 1962
8 Jun 2017 Stephen James Morgan 17 Jan 1981
PORTSMOUTH WEST
23 Feb 1950 Terence Hugh Clarke 17 Feb 1904 26 May 1992 88
31 Mar 1966 Frank Ashcroft Judd, later [1991] Baron Judd [L] 28 Mar 1935 18 Apr 2021 86
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974
POTTINGER (BELFAST)
14 Dec 1918 Herbert Dixon, later [1939] 1st Baron Glentoran 23 Jan 1880 20 Jul 1950 70
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922
PRESELI PEMBROKESHIRE
1 May 1997 Jacqueline Rita Lawrence 9 Aug 1948
5 May 2005 Stephen Crabb 20 Jan 1973
PRESTON (LANCASHIRE)
Apr 1660 Alexander Rigby 22 Aug 1620 4 Mar 1694 73
Richard Standish 21 Oct 1621 Mar 1662 40
Election declared void 20 Jun 1660
7 Aug 1660 Edward Fleetwood 12 Oct 1634 17 Apr 1704 69
Edward Rigby (to 1681) 15 Apr 1627 Jul 1686 59
11 Apr 1661 Geoffrey Rishton c 1617 c Jan 1667
William Fyfe
Double return. Rishton seated 31 May 1661
27 May 1667 John Otway [kt 1673] c 1620 15 Oct 1693
20 Feb 1679 Sir Robert Carr, later [1667] 3rd baronet [he was also returned for Lincolnshire, for which he chose to sit] c 1637 14 Nov 1682
21 Apr 1679 Sir John Otway c 1620 15 Oct 1693
28 Feb 1681 Sir Robert Carr, later [1667] 3rd baronet [he was also returned for Lincolnshire, but the Parliament was dissolved before he chose which seat to represent] c 1637 14 Nov 1682
Sir Gervase Elwes, 1st baronet [he was also returned for Sudbury, but the Parliament was dissolved before he chose which seat to represent] 21 Aug 1628 11 Apr 1706 77
8 Apr 1685 Sir Thomas Chicheley [he was also returned for Cambridge, for which he chose to sit] 25 Mar 1614 1 Feb 1699 84
Edward Fleetwood (to 1689) 12 Oct 1634 17 Apr 1704 69
11 Jun 1685 Andrew Newport 30 Nov 1622 11 Sep 1699 76
15 Jan 1689 James Stanley, later [1702] 10th Earl of Derby 3 Jul 1664 1 Feb 1736 71
Thomas Patten c 1636 1697
13 Mar 1690 Robert Bertie, styled Baron Willoughby de Eresby, later [Apr 1690] Baron Willoughby de Eresby, [1706] 1st Marquess of Lindsey and [1715] 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven [he was also returned for Boston, but was summoned to the House of Lords before he could choose for which seat to sit] 20 Oct 1660 26 Jul 1723 62
Christopher Greenfield (to 1695) c 1653 1706
5 Dec 1690 Sir Edward Chisenhall 14 Oct 1646 1 Apr 1727 80
4 Nov 1695 Sir Thomas Stanley, 4th baronet 27 Sep 1670 7 May 1714 43
Thomas Molyneux (to Jan 1701) after 1662 25 May 1727
4 Aug 1698 Henry Ashurst (to 1702) 4 Mar 1669 30 Oct 1705 36
14 Jan 1701 Edward Rigby c 1653 2 May 1706
1 Dec 1701 Thomas Molyneux after 1662 25 May 1727
23 Jul 1702 Charles Zedenno Stanley 8 Dec 1666 9 Apr 1715 48
Sir Cyril Wyche c 1632 29 Dec 1707
15 May 1705 Francis Annesley (to 1708) 24 Oct 1663 7 Apr 1750 86
Edward Rigby c 1653 2 May 1706
27 Dec 1706 Arthur Maynwaring (to 1710) 9 Jul 1668 13 Nov 1712 44
12 May 1708 Henry Fleetwood (to 1722) c 1667 22 May 1746
20 Oct 1710 Sir Henry Hoghton, 5th baronet (to 1713) c 1678 23 Feb 1768
7 Sep 1713 Edward Southwell 4 Sep 1671 4 Dec 1730 59
8 Feb 1715 Sir Henry Hoghton, 5th baronet c 1678 23 Feb 1768
24 Mar 1722 Daniel Pulteney (to 1732) c 1674 7 Sep 1731
Thomas Hesketh c 1699 18 Apr 1735
21 Aug 1727 Sir Henry Hoghton, 5th baronet (to 1741) c 1678 23 Feb 1768
24 Jan 1732 Nicholas Fazackerly (to 1767) c 1685 Feb 1767
9 May 1741 James Shuttleworth 6 Dec 1714 28 Jun 1773 58
16 Apr 1754 Edmund Starkie (to Apr 1768) c 1693 12 Aug 1773
11 Mar 1767 Sir Peter Leicester, 4th baronet (to Nov 1768) Dec 1732 12 Feb 1770 37
2 Apr 1768 Sir Frank Standish, 3rd baronet c 1746 18 May 1812
Both sitting members (Leicester and Standish) were unseated on petition in favour of John Burgoyne and Sir Henry Hoghton 29 Nov 1768]
29 Nov 1768 John Burgoyne 4 Feb 1723 4 Aug 1792 69
Sir Henry Hoghton, 6th baronet (to 1795) 22 Oct 1728 9 Mar 1795 66
6 Sep 1792 William Cunliffe Shawe (to 1796) 17 Sep 1745 4 Nov 1821 76
26 Mar 1795 Sir Henry Philip Hoghton, 7th baronet (to 1802) 12 Jun 1768 27 Nov 1835 67
11 Jun 1796 Edward Smith-Stanley, styled Baron Stanley, later [1834] 13th Earl of Derby (to 1812) 21 Apr 1775 30 Jun 1851 76
6 Jul 1802 John Horrocks 27 Mar 1768 1 Mar 1804 35
17 Mar 1804 Samuel Horrocks (to 1826) 27 Nov 1766 24 Mar 1842 75
15 Oct 1812 Edmund Hornby 16 Jun 1773 18 Nov 1857 84
26 Jun 1826 Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, later [1851] 14th Earl of Derby 29 Mar 1799 23 Oct 1869 70
John Wood (to 1832) 4 Nov 1789 10 Oct 1856 66
7 Dec 1830 Henry Hunt
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 6 Nov 1773 15 Feb 1835 61
10 Dec 1832 Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, later [1838] 1st baronet (to 1847) 9 May 1801 12 Apr 1866 64
Henry Thomas Stanley 9 Mar 1803 2 Apr 1875 72
24 Jul 1837 Robert Townley Parker 1793 11 Aug 1879 86
29 Jun 1841 Sir George Strickland, 7th baronet (to 1857) 26 Nov 1782 23 Dec 1874 92
29 Jul 1847 Charles Pascoe Grenfell 4 Apr 1790 21 Mar 1867 76
6 Jul 1852 Robert Townley Parker 1793 11 Aug 1879 86
30 Mar 1857 Charles Pascoe Grenfell (to 1865) 4 Apr 1790 21 Mar 1867 76
Richard Assheton Cross, later [1886] 1st Viscount Cross 30 May 1823 8 Jan 1914 90
4 Mar 1862 Sir Thomas George Hesketh (Fermor‑Hesketh from 1867), 5th baronet (to 1872) 11 Jan 1825 20 Aug 1872 47
11 Jul 1865 Frederick Arthur Stanley, later [1893] 16th Earl of Derby 15 Jan 1841 14 Jun 1908 67
18 Nov 1868 Edward Hermon (to 1881) 2 Apr 1822 6 May 1881 59
16 Sep 1872 John Holker [kt 1874] (to 1882) 24 Mar 1828 24 May 1882 54
20 May 1881 William Farrer Ecroyd (to 1885) 14 Jul 1827 9 Nov 1915 88
2 Feb 1882 Henry Cecil Raikes 25 Nov 1838 24 Aug 1891 52
23 Nov 1882 William Edward Murray Tomlinson, later [1902] 1st baronet (to 1906) 4 Aug 1838 17 Dec 1912 74
24 Nov 1885 Robert William Hanbury 24 Feb 1845 28 Apr 1903 58
14 May 1903 John Kerr 1852
15 Jan 1906 John Thomas Macpherson 1872
Harold Cox 1859 1 May 1936 76
17 Jan 1910 George Frederick Stanley [kt 1929] (to 1922) 14 Oct 1872 1 Jul 1938 65
Alfred Aspinall Tobin [kt 1919] 26 Dec 1855 30 Nov 1939 83
9 Jun 1915 Urban Hanlon Broughton
For information about this MP, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of the peerage of Fairhaven		 12 Apr 1857 30 Jan 1929 71
14 Dec 1918 Thomas Shaw (to 1931) 9 Apr 1872 26 Sep 1938 66
15 Nov 1922 James Philp Hodge 1879 12 Jul 1946 67
29 Oct 1924 Alfred Ravenscroft Kennedy 15 Feb 1879 10 Feb 1943 63
30 May 1929 Sir William Allen Jowitt, later [1945] 1st Baron Jowitt, [1947] 1st Viscount Jowitt and [1951] 1st Earl Jowitt 15 Apr 1885 16 Aug 1957 72
27 Oct 1931 Adrian Charles Moreing (to 1940) 4 Jul 1892 10 Jul 1940 48
William MacColin Kirkpatrick 10 Dec 1878 3 Dec 1953 74
25 Nov 1936 Edward Charles Cobb (to 1945) 4 Sep 1891 14 May 1957 65
25 Sep 1940 Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer Churchill 28 May 1911 6 Jun 1968 57
26 Jul 1945 John William Sunderland c 1896 24 Nov 1945
Samuel Segal, later [1964] Baron Segal [L] (to 1950) 2 Apr 1902 4 Jun 1985 83
31 Jan 1946 Edward Arthur Alexander Shackleton, later [1958] Baron Shackleton [L] 15 Jul 1911 22 Sep 1994 83
CONSTITUENCY SPLIT INTO "NORTH" AND "SOUTH" DIVISIONS 1950, RE-UNITED 1983
9 Jun 1983 Stanley George Thorne 22 Jul 1918 26 Nov 2007 89
11 Jun 1987 Audrey Wise 4 Jan 1935 2 Sep 2000 65
23 Nov 2000 Mark Phillip Hendrick [kt 2018] 2 Nov 1958
PRESTON NORTH
23 Feb 1950 Harold Julian Amery, later [1992] Baron Amery of Lustleigh [L] 27 Mar 1919 3 Sep 1996 77
31 Mar 1966 Ronald Henry Atkins 13 Jun 1916 30 Dec 2020 104
18 Jun 1970 Mary Angela Holt 31 Mar 1924 Mar 1999 74
28 Feb 1974 Ronald Henry Atkins 13 Jun 1916 30 Dec 2020 104
3 May 1979 Robert James Atkins [kt 1997] 5 Feb 1946
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
PRESTON SOUTH
23 Feb 1950 Edward Arthur Alexander Shackleton, later [1958] Baron Shackleton [L] 15 Jul 1911 22 Sep 1994 83
26 May 1955 Alan Green 29 Sep 1911 2 Feb 1991 79
15 Oct 1964 Peter Mahon 4 May 1909 29 Sep 1980 71
18 Jun 1970 Alan Green 29 Sep 1911 2 Feb 1991 79
28 Feb 1974 Stanley George Thorne 22 Jul 1918 26 Nov 2007 89
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
PRESTWICH (LANCASHIRE)
4 Dec 1885 Abel Buckley 1835 23 Dec 1908 73
7 Jul 1886 Robert Gray Cornish Mowbray, later [1899] 2nd baronet 21 May 1850 23 Jul 1916 66
20 Jul 1895 Frederick Cawley, later [1906] 1st baronet and [1918] 1st Baron Cawley 9 Oct 1850 20 Mar 1937 86
1 Feb 1918 Oswald Cawley 7 Oct 1882 22 Aug 1918 35
28 Oct 1918 Austin Hopkinson 24 Jun 1879 2 Sep 1962 83
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918
PROVAN (GLASGOW)
26 May 1955 William Reid 6 Nov 1889 16 Jul 1965 75
15 Oct 1964 Hugh Dunbar Brown 18 May 1919 10 Mar 2008 88
11 Jun 1987 James Wray 28 Apr 1938 25 May 2013 75
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1997
PUDSEY (YORKSHIRE)
1 Dec 1885 Briggs Priestley 16 Mar 1831 21 Oct 1907 76
10 Oct 1900 George Whiteley, later [1908] 1st Baron Marchamley 30 Aug 1855 21 Oct 1925 70
19 Jun 1908 John James Oddy [kt 1916] 24 Feb 1867 20 Feb 1921 53
22 Jan 1910 Frederick Ogden 11 May 1871 24 Apr 1933 61
ALTERED TO "PUDSEY AND OTLEY" 1918, BUT REVERTED 1950
23 Feb 1950 Cyril Banks 12 Aug 1901 23 Oct 1969 68
8 Oct 1959 Joseph Hiley 18 Aug 1902 17 Nov 1989 87
28 Feb 1974 (John) Giles Dunkerley Shaw [kt 1987] 16 Nov 1931 12 Apr 2000 68
1 May 1997 Paul Anthony Truswell 17 Nov 1955
6 May 2010 Stuart James Andrew 25 Nov 1971
PUDSEY AND OTLEY (YORKSHIRE)
14 Dec 1918 Arthur Rhys Barrand 28 Oct 1861 3 Aug 1941 79
15 Nov 1922 Frederick Hawksworth Fawkes 1870 1 Feb 1936 65
6 Dec 1923 Sir Francis Watson 7 Jan 1864 27 Aug 1947 83
30 May 1929 Charles Granville Gibson [kt 1937] 8 Nov 1880 17 Jul 1948 67
26 Jul 1945 Malcolm Stoddart-Scott [kt 1957] 23 Sep 1901 15 Jun 1973 71
NAME ALTERED TO "PUDSEY" 1950
PUTNEY
14 Dec 1918 Samuel Samuel 7 Apr 1855 23 Oct 1934 79
28 Nov 1934 Marcus Reginald Anthony Samuel 7 Sep 1873 3 Mar 1942 68
8 May 1942 Hugh Nicholas Linstead [kt 1953] 3 Feb 1901 27 May 1987 86
15 Oct 1964 Hugh Gater Jenkins, later [1981] Baron Jenkins of Putney [L] 27 Jul 1908 26 Jan 2004 95
3 May 1979 David John Mellor
For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page		 12 Mar 1949
1 May 1997 Anthony John Colman 24 Jul 1943
5 May 2005 Justine Greening 30 Apr 1969
12 Dec 2019 (Kathleen) Fleur Anderson 6 Feb 1971
 

Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones
MP for Pontypridd 1922‑1931
Mardy Jones was the son of Thomas Isaac and Gwen Jones of Brynaman, Carmarthenshire. Notwithstanding that his father and both of his grandfathers were killed in coal-mining accidents, he began working in the mines at the age of 12, his wages supporting a family of six.
Mardy Jones later studied at Ruskin College, Oxford, where he majored in economics and modern history. He then became a 'missionary' for Ruskin College and succeeded in persuading the South Wales Miners' Federation to establish 10 scholarships. Returning to mining, he became a miner's agent and later became Parliamentary and Political Agent for the South Wales Miners' Federation.
In July 1922, Mardy Jones was elected as MP for Pontypridd. At the time of the events described in this note, the annual salary of a backbencher such as Mardy Jones was £360. In addition, MPs were eligible to receive vouchers which could be exchanged for rail tickets between London and their constituencies. These vouchers were not, however, transferable to anyone else.
In breach of this rule, Mardy Jones sent two tickets to his wife and 12-year-old daughter. On 19 December 1930, his wife and daughter boarded a first-class carriage of the Great Western Railway and set off for London, but when their tickets were checked by the railway's inspectors, one of the tickets was found to be out of date. The inspectors and the railway company showed no mercy and pressed charges against the unfortunate travellers.
On 5 February 1931, Mardy Jones resigned from the House of Commons. The next day, he pleaded guilty in court to transferring two non-transferable tickets to his wife and helping her to travel without paying for a fare. His wife pleaded guilty to receiving the ticket and intending to travel without paying the fare. Both defendants were fined £2 and Mardy Jones also had to pay 30 guineas in costs.
Although he stood at the subsequent General Election in October 1931, Mardy Jones was easily defeated.
Reginald Jaffray Lucas
MP for Portsmouth 1900‑1906
Lucas was a well-known writer during his lifetime, probably best remembered for his work George II and his Ministers [Arthur Humphreys, London, 1910]. He also wrote a number of novels and biographies. He was the son of Sir Thomas Lucas, 1st baronet, and before entering parliament in 1900 was private secretary to Sir William Walrond, later Baron Waleran, and Aretas Akers‑Douglas, later Viscount Chilston.
After suffering from a very painful disease, Lucas committed suicide on 9 May 1914. The following report of the subsequent inquest is taken from the Adelaide [South Australia] Advertiser of 22 June 1914:-
Infinitely pathetic was the tragic fate of Mr. Reginald Jaffray Lucas, ex M.P. for Portsmouth from 1900 to 1906, who driven by pain to the limit of endurance last month, shot himself at his home at The Albany, Piccadilly, London. Distressing details of the affair were related at the inquest. Maria Felton, deceased's housekeeper, said that she went to Mr. Lucas' room in response to what she took to be a knocking noise. She spoke to him, but received no answer, and she then called the valet. Deceased said, "Take it away; it is done now" (referring to a revolver which he had in his hand). He also told witness to ring up the Eccentric Club, and send for his brother. Did he say anything about doing it quickly? - Yes; he said he thought it would be over sooner. Joseph Olden, the valet, said that after visiting his doctor in the morning deceased told him that his throat was very bad again, and he would require another operation.
After handing witness the revolver deceased said, "Don't be alarmed. Olden, at what I have done. I could not endure the pain any longer, send for the doctor". Witness did so, and afterwards found a note on a chair beside the bed. Dr. Montagu S. Monier-Williams, of Onslow Gardens, said he attended deceased for ten years for consumption. When witness was called to him after the shooting he [Lucas] said, "I am sorry to give you this trouble, doctor. I have shot myself four times through the chest. Why am I not dead? I expected to be by now. I am afraid I have made a bad job of it."
In summing up the coroner commented on the painful nature of the case. Deceased was suffering from tuberculosis of the throat, a very distressing malady, and the necessary surgical treatment would give rise to intense pain. He evidently came to the limit of endurance.
A letter which he wrote to his brother read as follows:- "My dear Frank - I have a malignant disease. A sanatorium cure to me would be intolerable. All that medical skill can do is at best a palliative. I have been suffering such pain and discomfort, and feel worn out. The future must be all pain and sickness, and I should be a burden to myself and a nuisance to everybody else. The best thing is to hasten the end. I trust in the mercy of Almighty God, who has blessed me so abundantly. I am sorry, very sorry, for my sisters, and the few others who will care. I am tired, and want rest. God bless you all."
The jury returned a verdict of "Suicide whilst of unsound mind."
Henry Hunt
MP for Preston 1830‑1832
The following biography of Henry Hunt appeared in the January 1957 issue of the monthly Australian magazine Parade:-
"Food For Britain!" might well have been the cry of starving masses in England 130 years ago, when a loaf of bread cost 6d. and crazy taxation slashed wages to as low as 4d. a week. Factories were wrecked by distraught workers whose families starved while England's ports were jammed with grain awaiting export. Sporadic riots were ruthlessly crushed by the army, but shouts for "Reform!" took unison as popular unrest thrust to the fore such leaders as "Orator" Henry Hunt, the fearless Wiltshire boot polish manufacturer who dreamt of making Great Britain a republic.
A wealthy country gentleman, Hunt dressed the part except for the incongruous white beaver hat he invariably wore. It became such a familiar sight at political reform meetings that a white hat came to be the badge of an extreme radical, just as the blood-red "bonnet rouge" had been the symbol of the French revolutionaries a generation before. He had abandoned country life to become a manufacturer - a manufacturer of polishes - and in parks and commons throughout England vast crowds gathered as drums and trumpets heralded the arrival of a procession of "Hunt's Matchless Blacking" vans which generally served as a platform for the man whose forceful eloquence won him the popular nickname of "Orator".
Flaunting the green, white and red flag already chosen as the colours of the future "British Republic", the vehicles were draped with inflammatory banners summarising Hunt's invariable theme: lower taxation, universal suffrage, election by ballot, and - what was then an entirely novel cause - recognition of "women's rights", in property, education and politics, in none of which had they then any semblance of equality with men. Tall, beefy and commanding, Hunt needed no amplifiers to carry his stentorian voice to the farthest fringe of his packed audiences, as in a ceaseless spate of words and theatrical gestures, he would, as one biographer puts it, "thump it, and stump it and blow his own trumpet".
Left comfortably off by his father, quite apart from the sizeable income brought him by the polish to which his shining black top-boots paid unfailing tribute, Hunt flung his personal fortune into the fight to right injustices suffered by the common people. Son of a wealthy Wiltshire farmer, Hunt gained his radical ideas at Oxford, where he read for a degree after severe official action to check his waywardness led him to run away from Andover Grammar School. Leaving the University in 1789 when he was 16, Hunt rejected his parents' wish that he should take Holy orders, and was allotted portion of his father's property to farm. Frequent clashes with his father, who was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, culminated in Hunt's leaving home five years later to go to sea aboard a Guinea slaver. Only his heartbroken mother's tearful entreaties induced him to return home.
At the age of 22 Hunt had the curious experience of falling in love by proxy. Intrigued by his father's description of the charms of a certain Miss Halcomb, pretty daughter of an innkeeper in a neighbouring town, Hunt became violently infatuated without even having seen her. Hoping a nuptial ball and chain would steady his headstrong son, Hunt's father arranged a hasty marriage. It lasted almost seven years, and yielded two sons and a daughter, but went on the rocks when Hunt eloped with a Mrs. Vince, wife of one of his closest friends. He lived with her for his remaining 33 years of life without attempting to legalise their union.
On his father's death in 1797 Hunt inherited the family estate and made a home there for his mistress. Napoleon was then beginning his triumphal marches through Europe, and with the possibility of an English invasion already being mooted, Hunt made his first public address. As a member of the Everley troop of yeomanry he urged his colleagues to volunteer for service outside the country instead of merely for home defence. It was an unpopular role, and when his appeal was rebuffed with a chorus of jeers he quit the force in disgust.
Shortly afterwards, a Colonel Lord Bruce, admiring his patriotic spirit, invited him to join the Marlborough volunteer cavalry unit. The colonel soon regretted his decision. Hunt proved a turbulent subordinate, and climaxed various acts of indiscipline by challenging his commanding officer to a duel. When summoned before a court-martial, Hunt failed to appear, and when subsequently ordered to apologise, he refused. As a consequence, he was dishonourably discharged from the service, fined £100, and gaoled for six weeks in King's Bench prison at the end of 1800.
During his brief imprisonment he studied the aims of the French revolutionaries and convinced himself that a republic was the only truly democratic form of government. On his release he became a compelling figure in local politics, and his reputation as a powerful speaker quickly made him sought after further afield. His hot temper combined with his radical views involved him in many violent scenes and several law-suits. He was gaoled for three months in 1810 for assaulting a gamekeeper who failed to see eye to eye with him on a question of politics. While in prison he strengthened his friendship with William Cobbett and another leading parliamentary reformer of the day, Sir Francis Burdett baronet, who were also in gaol because of political differences with the State.
Inspired by them he stood as a candidate for Bristol in the elections of 1812; but he was overwhelmingly defeated, and his appeal to have the election quashed on the grounds of bribery and intimidation was dismissed. However, his spectacular mass meetings began to draw huge crowds, and for one of his early London addresses he parked his flag-bedecked vans on Kennington Common. He chose a location significantly close to the spot where supporters of the "Pretender" had been executed in 1745 for opposing the same reigning family at which Hunt directed thinly-veiled strictures. Cavalrymen waited watchfully in the background with orders to shoot Hunt instead of firing into the crowd if a disturbance occurred. Fortunately for the orator, however, the meeting, while enthusiastic, was orderly.
In the following year the Prince Regent was hissed as he returned from opening Parliament, and a missile claimed to have been a bullet shattered two windows of his coach. To make matters worse, a small party of extremists left one of Hunt's meetings and murdered a gun-smith, and arming themselves from his stock, marched towards the Tower of London intent on capturing the armoury and seizing the Bank of England. Repressive measures followed, including the suppression of public assemblies. Cobbett was forced to flee to seek refuge in America, and military forces were detailed to Hunt's meetings to stop him mounting the platform.
After unsuccessfully contesting the seat of Westminster in 1818 Hunt transferred his activities to Manchester, where his refusal to stand during the playing of the National Anthem led to a riot. In the teeth of a newly-passed law banning meetings directed towards attaining reforms, Hunt planned a mammoth gathering for August 16, 1819. It was to be held at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, and workers and their families from surrounding suburbs and villages were to march to it by converging on the city in organised processions. In the interests of co-ordination, parties were drilled beforehand in the procedure to be followed in the march to the meeting-place - and the Government chose to regard this as a sign of sinister motives. Troops of the Manchester and Cheshire Yeomanry were drawn up behind the city magistrates near where the meeting was to be held, but made no attempt to interfere as 60,000 men, women and children gathered on the ground, "unarmed, in perfect order, with flags flying and drums beating". A few walking sticks carried by the aged and infirm were the nearest approach to weapons carried by the orderly crowd.
As soon as Hunt began to speak the magistrates ordered his arrest, and the soldiers spurred forward to obey. Had they behaved with discretion by allowing their horses to make their own way through the crowd there probably would have been no trouble; but they laid about with them with the flats of their swords and were soon blocked by a hostile mob. What single act began the [Peterloo] massacre has never been established, but the troops suddenly went berserk. With shouts of "Have at their flags", they rode among the jammed mass of people slashing and stabbing indiscriminately with their swords, cutting and trampling down anyone before them. Within 10 minutes the crowd had been dispersed, but the ground was dotted with a sorry tally of dead and wounded. Nine men and two women were killed outright, while 113 women and children were among some 600 who suffered grievous injuries. Hunt emerged unscathed, but his celebrated white hat bearing a cut - so he said - from a sword, became, at his later meetings, an even more stirring emblem than before.
Subsequently Hunt was arrested and confined for two-and-a-half years in Ilchester Gaol. But he could not be silenced even in gaol. His revelations of conditions there gave rise to an official inquiry that led, subsequently, to important prison reforms. When Hunt was released on October 30, 1822, a large party of admirers gathered at the gaol gates and presented him with an inscribed piece of plate. Alas for his subsequent fame, popular acclaim turned his head, and he became so intolerably obsessed with delusions of grandeur that one by one other reformers abandoned him.
Following an unsuccessful attempt to enter Parliament [as member for Somerset] four years after being freed, Hunt was elected for Preston in 1830 [at a by-election]. While in the House he remained constant to his earlier ideals, but concentrated on attacking the royal grants. Here he found ample ammunition to lay charges of wanton extravagance. For instance, a contemporary historian records that all meals served to the Marquis of Conyngham [sic] and his wife in their Hamilton Street House were taken there by coach in special hot boxes from the royal kitchens at St. James Palace. [At the time Conyngham was Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle]. In addition, the Conynghams' servants were given nominal tasks in the King's household so that their salaries could be paid out of the privy purse. Anti-royalists made no secret of their belief that these considerations were rewards for favours the Marchioness showed the lascivious king - favours of which her husband was said to be complacently aware. [There is no doubt that Lady Conyngham was George IV's last mistress.]
Failing to hold Preston in 1833, Hunt went into retirement, and two years afterwards died from a paralytic stroke on February 15 [1835]. He was buried at Parham, in the family vault of his mistress, Mrs. Vince, to whom he had been unswervingly faithful since their elopement at the turn of the century.
David John Mellor
MP for Putney 1979‑1997
After a number of junior political posts, Mellor was appointed Minister for the Arts for a brief period in 1990. Later that year he became Chief Secretary to the Treasury and in 1992 he became Secretary of State for the Department of National Heritage (known as the 'Minister for Fun').
Previously, in 1989, Mellor had attacked the popular press, calling for curbs on the 'sacred cow' of press freedom. This attack would later rebound upon him.
In 1992, The Sun published details of a liaison with Antonia de Sancha, a 31-year-old actress, for which she was paid £30,000. One source states that she had appeared in a film titled The Pieman, in which she played a one-legged prostitute who has sex with a pizza delivery man, but no such film is listed in the International Movie Database. Her affair with Mellor had been conducted in a rented furnished flat in West Kensington, where their conversations had been secretly recorded without Mellor's consent. The bug had been placed by de Sancha's landlord, and it was held that it was not illegal to bug your own property.
Although he survived in office after the publication of his affair, Fleet Street continued to dig up and disclose embarrassing details of Mellor's past. Evidence emerged that he enjoyed a free holiday in 1990 as the guest of a daughter of a Palestine Liberation Organisation official and that another holiday had been paid for by the ruler of Abu Dhabi. Having become an embarrassment to the Conservative Party, he was pressured to resign in September 1992.
In January 1996, the Sunday Mirror published a front-page story under the subtle and under-stated headline 'DAVID MELLOR'S FORMER MISTRESS IN LESBIAN LOVE ROMPS WITH DRUG FIEND'S GIRLFRIEND'. The story resulted from Miss de Sancha's attempt to revive her movie career. The article was illustrated with a suggestive photo of former model, Michelle Davies, girlfriend of a society drug dealer, who had been paid £4,000 by the paper to say that she had had a lesbian relationship with Miss de Sancha. In fact, they had met for the first time at the photo shoot. This incident gave rise to the perception that the tabloid press considered any stick good enough to beat David Mellor.
 

 
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